Slitheen at Oxford
by Rucasofcamelot
Summary: When Luke Smith went away to Oxford, his life of adventure largely came to an end. But when an old enemy returns, Luke and his crush Sanjay must fight them alone. But can Luke defeat this foe without his mother and friends?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: __I don't own any of this!_

Chapter 1

Sanjay

"Master Luke!"

Luke Smith was jarred awake by the high- pitched voice of K9, but was in no mood to respond. Instead, he rolled over and pulled the blankets over his head.

"Master Luke!" K9 screeched. "You will be late!"

Luke sighed, throwing back the blankets and glaring at the robot dog, who stared innocently back at him. He'd just gotten back from summer holiday at his mother's and was well used to being able to sleep in. But those days were over now. He quickly got dressed, said goodbye to K9, and headed out the door.

Not to his surprise, a boy was waiting for him across the hall. The sight of Sanjay Malik got his stomach fluttering, as if there was a large bunch of butterflies trapped inside, just waiting to get out.

Sanjay was an attractive boy of nineteen. He had a toned figure and smooth light brown skin. His shaggy jet- black hair nearly obliterated his dark eyes, which glittered in Luke's direction.

Luke admitted to himself that he'd thought of Sanjay a lot over the summer. The other boy had become his closest friends since he arrived in Oxford. Of course, Luke hadn't told Sanjay the truth about himself: the robotic dog that hid in his bedroom, the alien computer that hung out in his adoptive mother's attic, his alien little sister, and definitely not that he was a genetically modified creation by an alien species who once used a soft drink called Bubble Shock to turn humanity into zombies. Sarah Jane had always impressed upon him and his friends to keep that part of their lives secret. That included Sanjay, who, Luke reflected, would probably flee in the opposite direction if he knew.

"Have a good holiday?" Sanjay asked.

"Yeah... It was interesting," Luke replied, thinking of the fake American man and the race of enslaved aliens he and his friends had freed.

"Pardon!" Another boy said loudly, plowing his way past Luke and Sanjay. He must be new as Luke didn't recognize him. He was very large with short blond hair that only emphasized his huge forehead.

Sanjay scowled in the boy's direction. "Rude!"

"Who is he?" Luke asked.

"Max Marshall. His mum's a professor here."

_Marshall..._Luke recognized the name. It was printed on his course schedule. He had her Astronomy course this morning.

As it turned out, Sanjay had the same class. They walked into the auditorium- sized lecture hall together.

Luke instantly knew Professor Marshall. She looked so like her son, quite a bit deal larger, the same pasty skin, and badly cut blonde hair. She stared with narrowed eyes as Luke and Sanjay took their seats in the front.

"I can't believe we're sitting so close," Sanjay grumbled. "You're such a nerd, Luke." Luke grinned, suddenly reminded of Clyde.

Marshall coughed loudly. "We shall get started, then. Welcome to Introduction to Astronomy. I am your instructor, Professor Marshall.

"In this course, we shall get as close as mere humans like us can get to exploring the stars." Luke bit back a smile. He'd been in space before. Since then, the Judoon grounded him to Earth, but he often thought about going back into space, exploring the worlds like Sarah Jane had with the Doctor. Now he thought wistfully of the TARDIS, racing through time and space with so much adventure to be had...

"... There are so many mysteries to the universe around us," Marshall carried on. "Is there life on other planets, for example? Well, _of course_ there is!"

Luke looked up at her, shocked. Did she know something?

"I mean, it only stands to reason," Marshall said. Luke felt a chill as she looked right at him. "And you should be careful... Because not all of them are nice."


	2. Chapter 2 First Date

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this!

Chapter 2

First Date

"Well... That was weird," Sanjay commented as he and Luke joined the throng exiting the lecture hall.

Luke nodded in agreement. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Professor Marshall. Maybe it was his years of dealing with the alien... Or maybe it was just his imagination.

"Luke?" Sanjay said. "Could you come here for a moment."

Luke followed his friend off to the side of the building, where a cluster of trees provided a shady spot where no one else was around.

Sanjay seemed nervous, constantly shifting from foot to foot. Luke started feeling anxious just watching him.

He finally couldn't take it. "Sanjay, what is it?"

"Sorry..." Sanjay said. "I just- I was wondering... Do you want to go out with me?"

Luke reeled back, that question the last thing he'd expected. "When you say 'go out' you mean..."

"On a date," Sanjay confirmed.

A strange concoction of horror and elation welled up in the pit of Luke's stomach. He'd never been on a date before. And he had no idea Sanjay fancied him. Then he got to thinking: did he like Sanjay? All of this went through his head in about three seconds.

"Yes!" He said a little too quickly. He berated himself upon seeing Sanjay's stunned expression. All these years and Luke still found himself falling into his old habit of not doing too well in social situations.

"I mean... Yeah, Sanjay. I'd love to go out with you."

Sanjay beamed. "Great! I'll pick you up Friday at seven, yeah?" Luke nodded in agreement and Sanjay headed off.

Luke stormed into his room. "K9!"

The robotic dog rolled out from under Luke's bed. "Yes, Master Luke?"

"What do you know about dating?" Luke asked.

"I am not familiar with social constructs, Master Luke. Perhaps Clyde could be of more assistance."

Clyde did know a lot about this sort of thing. But how would Clyde respond if he found out Luke fancied a boy? Luke had seen enough of the news to know what a hot button topic same sex relationships are. He'd like to think Clyde would be on his side, but he couldn't help the growing fear forming that Clyde would reject him.

"I guess I'll just act normal, right?" Luke muttered, more to himself than K9. "I mean, it's just Sanjay. We're mates and all. No problem."

Friday night arrived and Luke felt sick. He knew these were just nerves. He'd never been nervous about hanging out with Sanjay before, but this was different. They were moving beyond friendship now...

There was a knock on Luke's door and Luke jumped up to answer it. Sanjay was waiting on the other side, a bright blue shirt tucked into khakis. Luke thought he looked wonderful, and told him as much.

Sanjay bit back an embarrassed grin. "Thanks, Luke. You don't look half bad yourself. Ready?"

Luke nodded his assent and followed Sanjay out to Sanjay's car. They drove away from the university into a suburb.

"How does ice skating sound?" Sanjay asked.

"Good. I'm pretty good at it."

"Great to hear... Because I'm not." The boys chuckled as Sanjay pulled into the car park.

Inside, Luke and Sanjay pulled their rented skates on. Sanjay grinned at Luke once before jumping onto the ice... Promptly slipping and falling on his back.

Luke hastened to his side. "Sanjay, are you alright?"

"Aside from the total destruction to my dignity, yeah."

The boys laughed. Luke reached down to help Sanjay up, only resulting in him slipping and crashing right on top of him.

They lay for what felt like an eternity, Luke feeling the quickening beat of Sanjay's heart and the other boy's warm breath on his face. Luke quickly scrambled to his feet, Sanjay following suit.

Sanjay coughed. "Well... That's one way to start a date."

Luke laughed again. They then proceeded to spend the part of an hour racing around the rink. Utterly exhausted, they retired to the food court where they gorged on chips and cola.

"Having fun?" Sanjay asked, taking a sip of his drink.

"Definitely! You?"

Sanjay smiled. "I always have fun with you, Luke. Can I tell you something and you not freak out?"

"Of course," Luke replied.

"I've had the biggest crush on you since we first met," Sanjay admitted. "I'm sure you don't feel the same way..."

"I do!" Luke blurted out. "I mean, I do like you, Sanjay. And not just as a mate..."

Sanjay hesitated, then reached out to take Luke's hand. His skin felt so soft, and so warm in Luke's. Luke felt so at peace that he didn't want Sanjay to ever let go.

But let go he did. Sanjay drove them both back to the dormitories. They walked slowly up to their floor, both lost in their own thoughts and feelings.

"Luke," Sanjay said suddenly, bringing him to a halt. "I had a really good time tonight."

Luke grinned. "Yeah, me too!"

Sanjay smiled back at him, then (seemingly on an impulse) leaned forward and kissed Luke on the cheek. Luke felt a comforting warmth engulf him at the simple gesture, like when he takes a sip of hot cocoa.

"I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Looking forward to it," Luke replied.

He watched as Sanjay disappeared into his room. He was just turning back to his own when he found the way blocked. Max Marshall, his Astronomy professor's son, stood there shaking his head.

"Er, hi Max," Luke said. Years of battling the unknown had given Luke a sense of when something was wrong, and he was getting that sense now.

"Sorry 'bout this, Luke Smith," Max said, not sounding very remorseful about anything. He pulled something from his back and lunged at Luke before Luke could even move. An somewhat intense shocking sensation caused his body to go limp, and he fell to the ground.

Just before Luke passed out, he saw Max Marshall loom over him, reaching up to his forehead. There was the sound of something unzipping and a blinding white light protruded from Max's forehead.


	3. Chapter 3 Luke's Secret

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this!

Chapter 3

Luke's Secret

"Luke... LUKE!"

Luke opened his eyes and had to shut them again due to his piercing migraine. He felt strong hands slowly lean him against the wall.

He slowly opened his eyes again. Kneeling in front of him was a very pale and wide- eyed Sanjay. They were both in an empty cellar only about half the size of Luke's dorm, lit only by a single naked bulb dangling from the ceiling.

"What happened?" Luke asked.

Sanjay gulped. "Some... Thing attacked you. Luke, it was huge and green and looked like some sort of alien. I heard commotion out in the hall and went to investigate. When I did, I saw the creature looming over you. It zapped me with this electric weapon. When I woke up, we were both in this dump."

Luke remembered Max Marshall seemingly coming out of his own skin and realized the horrifying truth.

"Slitheen..."

"What?" Sanjay shot back.

"It's the Slitheen, Sanjay. They must have come back for revenge or something. Max and his mother, I think. They want to get back at me for helping to defeat their family." Luke noticed the blank expression on Sanjay's face. "Sit back, Sanjay. I have quite a bit to explain to you."

Sanjay began pacing the cell back and forth. He tried several times to speak, but nothing ever came out. At one point, he stopped walking, stared at Luke, opened his mouth to talk (Luke was sure he would get something out this time) but then began pacing again.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Luke commented.

Sanjay finally stopped pacing and took a deep breath. "So let me get this straight: you were created just a few years ago by a race of aliens called the Bane who were trying to use a beverage to take over the world. You were then adopted by a woman who used to travel in a blue police box through time and space with another man called the Doctor. Then you and your friends defend the Earth against dangerous aliens."

"Yeah, that about covers everything," Luke replied.

"That's mad," Sanjay gasped. "I wouldn't believe a word of it if we weren't, you know,, being held against our will by large green aliens."

Luke looked away, suddenly feeling guilty. "I'm sorry to drag you into this, Sanjay."

Sanjay sat beside Luke and took his hand. "I brought myself into this. Though fat load of good I've been. I tried to rescue you and only got us both kidnapped."

Luke smiled at him. "I appreciate the thought."

"Ahem."

Luke and Sanjay jumped to their feet. Professor Marshall appeared, dressed in her human costume. She glared hungrily in Luke's direction... Then promptly farted.

Marshall giggled. "Oh, and I was doing so good in controlling that! No matter. I'll be free of this thing soon anyway." She pulled out the electric weapon Max had used at Oxford. "You'll be coming with me, Mr. Smith. As for you," she added, shooting a contemptuous glance in Sanjay's direction, "you'll stay back if you know what's good for you."

Luke tried to give Sanjay a reassuring look without betraying any of his own quickly building terror as he followed Marshall out of the cell. The pair of them came up into a brightly lit spacious antechamber. A purple carpet cushioned the winding staircase up two other floors. Professor Marshall was clearly doing well for herself.

She led Luke off to a side room which clearly served as a study. There wasn't much decoration. A desk, a warm light from the fireplace, and a floor- to- ceiling bookshelf. On the desk was a framed picture of Professor Marshall and Max, smiling happily back at the camera. Luke suspected, with a surge of red- hot anger, that this picture had been taken before the arrival of the Slitheen.

Professor Marshall farted again. The sulfurous stench made Luke want to puke. Marshall giggled. "Oh dear me, dear me!" She unzipped herself, stepping out of the confining extra skin. "There won't be any more need for that."

"What do you want?" Luke demanded.

"Quite a lot of things, Luke Smith. We'll start with Sarah Jane. Once she hears we have you in our custody, Sarah Jane Smith and her adolescent companions will no doubt rush over to your rescue. Then we will destroy you all, just as you have destroyed members of my own race!"

"You'll never get away with it," Luke snapped. "My mum has defeated enemies way worse than you."

"We'll see," Marshall retorted. "As for your little boyfriend, there's not much point in keeping him around."

Luke's heart almost stopped. "What?"

As if on cue, the door to the study opened once again. Max, in his natural form as well, entered, holding his electric weapon on Sanjay.

"Don't hurt him!" Luke pleaded. "He doesn't have anything to do with this!"

"Ah," Marshall said with an air of false sympathy, "if only that were true. Kill him, my dear!"

"NO!" Luke cried.

At that moment, there was a flash of red. Books and papers went flying, and smoke filled the air. Through the smoke, Luke could see K9, firing defensive lasers. Luke had never been happier to see the robot dog.

Sanjay kicked out at the younger Slitheen, freeing himself. "Luke, let's go!"

"Come on, K9," Luke ordered.

The Slitheen stumbled to their feet. But by the time they got their bearings and the dust settled, their prisoners had escaped.


	4. Chapter 4 Defensive Strategy

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this!

Chapter 4

Defensive Strategy

Luke, K9, and Sanjay made it back to the dormitory in silence. Sanjay burst into Luke's room and collapsed on the bed. Luke sat at the foot of the bed, his mind racing with the events of the night... And what he knew was yet to come.

Luke shook Sanjay back awake. "Sorry, but there's no time to go to sleep now. We have to get ready to defend ourselves."

Sanjay stared at him in awe. "You don't think the Slitheen will come after us again, do you?"

"I know they will," Luke replied grimly.

Sanjay sat back up reluctancy. "What can we do to stop them?"

Luke already knew the answer to that question. "Sanjay, we need water pistols and vinegar."

Professor Marshall and her son entered the dimly lit and empty hallway of Max's dormitory, once more in their human disguises. Marshall glanced at her son. "Where are they, my sweet?"

Max responded with a loud and smelly fart. Both Slitheen giggled. Max barely managed to compose himself. "This way..."

"Hullo!"

The Marshalls whirled around. Luke Smith's friend was just standing there in the light of the moon beam coming from the window, completely defenseless.

Sanjay turned on his heel and fled down the stairs into the basement. "After him!" Professor Marshall cried, farting multiple times in her excitement. The Slitheen quickly discarded of their human disguises and chased Sanjay downstairs. Where he was, so certainly was Luke.

The basement was empty at this time of night. There wasn't much there: several washing machines for the students and a pool table off to the side. The Slitheen looked left and right but not seeing the boys anywhere.

"Professor?"

It was Luke. He stepped out from behind a washing machine and he was wielding a water pistol.

Marshall snickered at the sight. "And what do you suppose you're going to do with that?"

"I know you'll blow up if I spray you with the vinegar in this water pistol," Luke retorted. The Slitheen stopped laughing. "I don't want to do that, though. As horrible as you and your family have been, I don't want to kill you."

Professor Marshall glared suspiciously at him. "And what do you want?" She demanded.

"Leave Earth and don't come back," Luke told them.

"I have a better idea." Max said. With lightening speed, he took his electric gadget out from behind his back. He'd switched it to another setting, one that allowed him to attack from a greater distance. Before Luke could pull the trigger of his water pistol, the electric beam struck him in the stomach. The electric surge wasn't strong, but it was enough to cause him to spasm and fall to the floor, the water dropping and rolling away.

The Slitheen loomed over Luke like the giant green nightmares they were. "You know, Max," the fake professor said, "I'm beginning to think this boy isn't worth all the work to get to Sarah Jane. I think we should kill him instead."

Instead of looking fearful as the Slitheen expected, Luke smirked. "You've forgotten one thing," he said.

"What?" Max snapped.

"My boyfriend."

By the time the Slitheen turned around it was too late. Sanjay appeared, his water pistol at the ready. He pulled the trigger and sprayed vinegar all over the two aliens. They screamed and burst, green gloop turning the basement into a very disgusting mess.

"Gross," Sanjay muttered, wiping slime out of his hair.

Luke jumped up and hugged him, ecstatic. "You were brilliant!"

Sanjay looked bashfully away. "I suppose we'd better clean this stuff up before anyone wakes up..."

Fortunately, that didn't take long. K9 zoomed around the basement like the world's most powerful mop. By the time the boys had showered and changed clothes, the basement was cleaner than it had probably been in years.

"Thank for that, K9," Luke said.

Sanjay nodded in appreciation. "I think I could get used to this." He laughed along with Luke. Exhausted, they made their way back up to Luke's room and collapsed on his bed. Luke felt so warm and safe snuggled up next to Sanjay that he fell asleep right away.

The sun was high up in the sky when Luke woke up. He realized Sanjay was gone and looked around wildly.

The door opened and Sanjay appeared, carrying a plate with toast and jam stacked on it. "Breakfast?" He asked.

"Thanks." Luke took some of the toast gratefully. A night of battling aliens really worked up an appetite.

"Luke, can I ask you something?" Sanjay asked. Luke nodded. "Last night, you called me your boyfriend."

Luke blushed, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Oh yeah... I don't know what I was thinking. Sorry."

"Don't be," Sanjay replied. "To be honest, I kind of like the sound of it." He leaned his head closer and kissed Luke on the lips.

It was the most incredible sensation. Sanjay's lips were soft against his. His breath smelled strongly of toast, but Luke didn't mind. It tasted almost sweet coming from him.

Luke didn't want the kiss to end, but it inevitably did. But looking into Sanjay's eyes, Luke knew it wouldn't be the last.

Luke's cell phone began ringing, breaking the boys out of their reverie. Luke grabbed the phone and checked out the caller ID. It read Clyde Langer.

Cringing at the thought of what Clyde would say if he knew what Luke had just been doing, he answered the phone.

"Hi Clyde. What's up?"

"What's up is there's trouble," Clyde said.

Luke sat up straighter. "What do you mean?"

"It's Sky! She's the Trickster."

"What?" Luke asked, aghast.

"We'll explain when you get here," Clyde said. "Hurry, Luke. There's a battle coming."

_To Be Continued in the SJA sequel fic: The Battle of Bannerman Road_


End file.
